Nigerian football officials charged with $9.5m fraud

Abuja Three Nigerian football officials have been charged with fraud after allegedly diverting $9.5 million in FIFA grants for personal use, the country's anti-corruption unit said Thursday.
Christopher Andekin, Jafaru Fadanari Mamza, and Rajan Zaka allegedly committed the crime in 2015, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement.
"The money was a grant given by the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, for the development of football in Nigeria," it added.
EFCC lawyer Steve Odiase told reporters outside the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that the case had been adjourned to a further hearing on November 28.
The body's spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, told AFP separately that the defendants pleaded not guilty, and were given bail on condition they surrendered their passports and paid a five-million-naira ($13,755, 12,000-euro) surety.
Andekin is the director of administration and finance at the NFF while Mamza heads the finance and accounts department. Zaka is a cashier.
The court case is the latest to hit the embattled NFF, which has been embroiled in a leadership struggle for control that has brought Nigeria to the brink of FIFA sanctions.
Football's governing body and its equivalent in Africa, CAF, have called for calm and reforms to heal the rifts in the running of the sport in Nigeria.

FIFA struggling to regain fan confidence, Transparency says

FIFA is still struggling to regain the trust of soccer fans, with more than half those interviewed saying they had no confidence in the sport's governing body, according to a survey published on Thursday.

Corruption watchdog Transparency International, which conducted the survey jointly with Swedish-based Forza Football, added that FIFA's image may have been hurt by its attempts to increase revenue.
Fifty-three percent of 25,000 fans interviewed from 50 countries said they had no confidence in FIFA, which is trying to regain credibility after a corruption crisis in 2015 that saw dozens of officials indicted in the United States. Even so, that was an improvement over 69 percent last year, the survey said.

"For any organisation that relies so much on the fans -- without the fans football is dead, it's commercially dead, its passion is dead -- that is a rather serious situation," Transparency head Cobus de Swardt told Reuters.

"We don't underestimate the toughness of the job, but in that sense so far the news has been only moderately good."

Only 34 percent of those interviewed thought FIFA was actively fighting corruption. Sixty-six percent said that match-fixing was the type of corruption which most worried them.
Meanwhile, 43 percent said they disapproved of next year's flagship World Cup being staged in Russia.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, elected one year ago to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter, said the body has taken steps to make officials more accountable. But de Swardt said the public did not see it that way.

"FIFA puts out 50-page brochures talking of reform, but to the average fan, when I talk to them about what has changed in FIFA, they shake their heads," he said. "They have no idea what has really changed."
Shortly after Infantino took over, FIFA said it had revised its projected revenue for the 2015-2018 cycle upwards from $5 billion to $5.65 billion, with projected investments amounting to $5.55 billion.
However, de Swardt said this might have been perceived negatively.
"For the average fan, the problem is not that there is too little money in football, but there is too much, and fans see this in what they have to pay for tickets, merchandise, etc," he said.
He added that FIFA's struggle to attract new sponsors was another symptom of its troubles.
FIFA has signed only one top-tier partner, China's Wanda Group, since Infantino took over. Russia's Alfa Bank has agreed to be a regional sponsor.

"FIFA hasn't been really rebuilt to the extent where sponsors are falling over their feet to be associated with the FIFA name," said de Swardt. "I've had sponsors telling me that the would love to be associated with football but not with FIFA."

Court overturns Bin Hammam FIFA life ban

The Court of Abitration for Sport on Thursday overturned a life ban imposed by football's world governing body FIFA against Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam, citing "insufficient evidence" to impose the penalty.

But a three-member panel who considered the case stopped short of exonerating the 63-year-old, who was accused of offering cash bribes to buy FIFA delegate votes during campaigning to unseat long-standing president Sepp Blatter last year.

Bin Hammam strongly denied wrongdoing in the FIFA presidential challenge last year, maintaining that the $40,000 in unmarked envelopes that were offered during the election campaign to delegates of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) were gifts.

He described the charges and his punishment as politically motivated. A one-time close associate of the powerful Blatter, the two became estranged following a falling-out.

The Lausanne-based tribunal said in a statement on its website: "The CAS has upheld Mr Bin Hammam's appeal, annulled the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal Committee and lifted the life ban imposed on Mr Bin Hammam."

But it added the three-member panel that considered the appeal "was unable to conclude to its comfortable satisfaction that the charges against Mr Bin Hammam were established" and considered the case "not proven".

There was no direct evidence to link Bin Hammam with the money's presence at a CFU meeting in Trinidad and Tobago and CFU chief Jack Warner had initially said the gift was from the federation but later said it was from Bin Hammam, the ruling said.

"No efforts" were made to trace the source of the money but the panel said it was "possible to infer" that Bin Hammam's failure to prove the cash's provenance "might be explained by the fact that it would have confirmed that he was the source".

The CAS panel said it was "more likely than not that Mr Bin Hammam was the source of the monies that were brought into Trinidad and Tobago and eventually distributed at the meeting by Mr Warner".

In that way "his (Bin Hammam's) conduct, in collaboration with and most likely induced by Mr Warner, may not have complied with the highest ethical standards that should govern the world of football and other sports.

"This is all the more so at the elevated levels of football governance at which individuals such as Mr Bin Hammam and Mr Warner have operated in the past."

The CAS said the panel was applying the law under the tribunal's code but "not making any sort of affirmative finding of innocence in relation to Mr Bin Hammam".

It was "doing no more than concluding that the evidence is insufficient in that it does not permit the majority of the Panel to reach the standard of comfortable satisfaction in relation to the matters on which the Appellant was charged.

"It is a situation of 'case not proven', coupled with concern on the part of the Panel that the FIFA investigation was not complete or comprehensive enough to fill the gaps in the record."

The lifting of the FIFA life ban does not mean that Bin Hammam -- who helped secure Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup -- is free to resume footballing activities.

Nigeria thrashes Guatemala 5-0 in under 20-World Cup

On account of its 5-0 drubbing of Guatemela on Sunday, Nigeria is definitely the team to beat and can count itself among the favorites after the third day of the FIFA Under-20 World in Colombia.

Edafe Egbedi scored twice for the Flying Eagles in the Group D match as the goalkeeper from Guatemala produced two fantastic saves in the opening minutes before conceding the opening goal.

Egbedi scored in the 8th and 39th minute of the first half. The third and fourth goal came from the boot of Ajagun and Kayode before enterprising winger Ahmed Musa completed the rout in the 76th minute.

Egbedi was substituted in the 94th minute for Sanni Emmanuel.

The Flying Eagles will have abundance of confidence to take into its next match on Wdnesday, August 3 against Croatia, while Guatemala will have to regroup ahead of its match with Saudi Arabia the same day.

Nigerian Line up
Dami Paul, Terna Suswan,Kenneth Omeruo, Ganiyu Ogungbe, Ahmed Musa, Olanrewaju Kayode, Abdul Ajagun, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Philemon Daniel, Edafe Egbedi, Ramon Azeez

Coach- James Obuh

Zhang Jilong reacts on Bin Hammam's ban

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) acting president Zhang Jilong described Mohamed bin Hammam's lifetime ban for bribery as a "sad day" for the sport on Saturday.

He continued,

AFC respects world football governing body FIFA’s decision and we also acknowledge former AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam’s inalienable right to lodge an appeal against the decision. AFC has nothing more to say on this particular issue.

I would like to assure our fans, Member Associations, teams, players, marketing partners, in short all our stakeholders and well-wishers, that the AFC Executive Committee is united in its resolve to maintain the great momentum Asian football has achieved in the recent past. Asian football is going from strength to strength and AFC will ensure that we continue to steer steadily on this progressive path.

This is a difficult period for us because Asian football is currently facing multiple challenges, the biggest of which is match-fixing. I, in my capacity as the acting AFC President, am aware of the urgent need to provide a strong leadership that will work closely with the Member Associations towards creating a climate of trust and confidence. During my provisional presidency, I promise that AFC will govern the continent’s football affairs in complete transparency, fairness and harmony.

The best of Asian football is yet to come and AFC will work tirelessly towards ensuring that the collective interests of the great sport we love will prevail in our continent. The Future is indeed Asia but this can be realised only if we keep the faith in our football.

Japan first Asian nation to win women's World Cup

Japan defeated the United States in a penalty kick shootout to win the Women's World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday.
It became the first Asian nation to win the FIFA women's World Cup, after both sides were tied 2-2 after 120 minutes of action packed football.
Japan captain Homare Sawa kept her side in the game with a header in the 117th minute after US striker Abby Wambach's header had put her side ahead early on during extra time after the final finished 1-1 over 90 minutes.
The Japanese had defender Azusa Iwashimizu sent off in the 121st minute for a foul on US striker Alex Morgan.
Morgan put the US up 1-0 when she chased down a clearing pass from Megan Rapinoe and shot from outside the goal box in the 69th minute.

Aya Miyama tied it 1-1 in the 80th minute from only a few yards in front of US goalie Hope Solo. The goal was the result of a chaotic scene in front of Solo, and was finished when Miyama gained possession off a failed clearing pass from Ali Krieger and shot it into the corner of the net.

The US played the second half and overtime without attacker Lauren Cheney, who suffered an ankle injury.

Is Amos Adamu innocent afterall?

Phaedra Al Majid, who worked as a press officer for Qatar 2022 retracted her allegation that Jacques Anouma, of Ivory Coast, Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou and Amos Adamu, of Nigeria, were offered bribes of up to $1.5 million to vote for Qatar.

Last year, Fifa's ethics committee banned Nigeria's Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii following a Sunday Times investigation into World Cup bidding.

Adamu, who denies the claims and has taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was banned for three years for seeking bribes from undercover reporters.

With this latest development, what happens to Amos Adamu?

Recently,in a letter to Fifa and the Qatar bid, accompanied by a sworn affidavit, the whistle-blower, Phaedra Almajid, claims that she lied because she was “hurt and bitter” at being placed under pressure by the bid for failing to control the international media reaction to Qatar’s bid. She said she has received no financial inducement to make her statement.

Almajid left the Qatar bid in November 2009 after being advised that she could be replaced. In the affidavit she said she “wanted to hurt the bid like they had hurt me”.

In her letter, circulated to Fifa, the Asian Football Confederation, the Confederation of African Football, the Qatar 2022 World Cup Bid, and the Nigerian, Ivorian and Cameroonian football associations, Almajid said: “I wish to offer a full and formal apology for the fabricated allegations concerning the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup bid committee and Fifa executive committee members Issa Hayatou, Jacques Anouma and Amos Adamu.

“I have lied about all facts concerning the behaviour and practice of the Qatar 2022 bid. Never, at any time, were any bribes even offered, suggested or paid on behalf of the Qatar 2022 bid during any time in exchange for votes from Issa Hayatou, Jacques Anouma, and Amos Adamu.

“These allegations were in full a fabrication on my behalf. Never at any time did I wish, nor did I foresee, the extent to which these lies would be projected by the international media – even to the extent that they were presented to the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry into Football Governance.

“I am very sorry for any and all embarrassment caused to the various individuals and authorities concerned. I was very proud to work on behalf of the Qatar 2022 bid committee.

“I also wish to state that the decision to make this admission is entirely my own: I have not been subject to any form of pressure or been offered any financial inducement to do so.”

Mohammed Bin Hammam to appeal against FIFA Ethics Committee decision

Mohamed Bin Hammam will not accept yesterday’s decision by the FIFA Ethics Committee. As he is only allowed to appeal against the motivated decision by the FIFA Ethics Committee, he urgently requested this by Tuesday, May 31st, to be able to file his appeal in due time and to revoke the provisional ban before the congress of June 1st is starting.

There are many open questions: What was the discussion in the Ethics Committee and how did the Ethics Committee come to its conclusion? There are many other questions which need to be answered and transparency is urgently needed.

Mohamed Bin Hammam: “The way these proceedings have been conducted is absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice. I am punished before I am found guilty. I get the impression that the outcome of these proceedings had been defined from the very beginning as it has been made evident at the press conference on Sunday evening at which FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke showed his bias very clearly. This is not acceptable as the FIFA Ethics Committee is supposed to be a fully independent body. Therefore, I also expect the further investigation to be influenced and manipulated.”

Qatar residents celebrate world cup hosting right

Doha erupted in cheers on Thursday when the news spread that FIFA has picked the country as the host of the 2022 World Cup ahead of the United Sates, Australia, South Korea and Japan. The announcement of the vote by Fifa President Sepp Blatter in Zurich was greeted with delight from patriotic and loving supporters of the Qatar bid.

The news was received with great joy as the Qatar 2022 Bid committee staged a fan zone at the Aspire Park, saw residents of the city honking their car horns in wild celebration of the victory.

Crowds watching the live broadcast on a giant television screen at the Aspire Park started arriving from 2pm as families came with their canopy, mats and chair to witness the historic event.

Children’s faces were painted with the Qatar maroon colour and the national flag, T-shirt, trumpet and scarves were freely given to thousands of fans.

As the evening approached the crowd became thicker, and the Vuvuzela took the air as young Qatari’s blew the trumpet with chants of “Qatar, Qatar, Qatar.”
Aardina Richards, a Dutch national said, “I have been in Doha for three months and I am happy for the Qatar victory but sad for the Netherlands & Belgium bid, though back home people weren’t expecting victory because there are lots of issues that needs to be solved than building stadiums and staging a World Cup.”

Shyju V an Indian resident expressed his joy, when he said, “Qatar’s World Cup bid put on a characteristically polished presentation, its successfully assuaged concerns about its heat, telling everyone that Qatar play a significant role in the heart of the Middle East.

With FIFA giving Qatar the hosting right it will definitely be a unifying factor in the region and a plus for global peace.”

By hosting the world cup Qatar will be fulfilling the dreams of every Arab, said Haithem Rashid, a Tunisian resident.

Hosting the biggest soccer fiesta will boosts the economic fortunes of the country and the inhabitants as whole, said Yemi a Nigerian resident.

Sharif Marri, a Qatari resident, said, “I want to thank Fifa President Sepp Blatter for creating the environment that won Qatar this high ranking and historical feat. We all know Qatar in terms of staging world class events and its football followership is well known to all as witnessed in the Brazil versus Argentina match. I think we are on track, and the game has just begun.”

Qatar will be the first country to host the world cup in the Middle East, with the 2018 edition going to Russia ahead of the joint Spain & Portugal bid.

No hiding place for FIFA's Amos Adamu: EFCC

LAGOS- THERE may be no hiding place for disgraced former Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC) and suspended FIFA Executive Committee member, Amos Adamu, as indications have emerged that Nigeria’s anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is set to spread its drag net to various parts of the world in its bid to track him down.
Adamu has been banned for three years from all football related activities and fined 10,000 Swiss francs by the ethics committee of FIFA for complicity in a cash-for-votes scandal blown open by Sunday Times of London and for breaching various articles of FIFA Code of Ethics.
Although, the EFCC had said shortly after the news of Adamu’s suspension came on Thursday that he would be interrogated as soon as he returns to Nigeria, it was learnt yesterday the anti-graft agency was looking for a quick avenue to track Adamu as soon as possible.
The Spokesman of EFCC, Femi Babafemi had told Brilafm sports radio that Adamu had refused to return to Nigeria since the commission showed interest in investigating the scandal.
“The chairman of the commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has instructed our operatives in charge of the matter to liaise with FIFA and see how we can get evidence of the whole investigation against Amos Adamu. This is a case that we have been working on since, and the decision by FIFA solidifies our position. Adamu has refused to come to Nigeria since we showed interest in the matter,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter promised yesterday that a “new FIFA” would choose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but admitted that changes would be needed to avoid corruption scandals.
Blatter sought to turn the page on the damaging World Cup bidding and corruption allegations after an executive committee meeting in Zurich, although he admitted that some collusion among FIFA’s decision makers was inevitable.
Nonetheless, FIFA’s president stressed that they were taking on greater responsibility now that world football’s showcase event was gaining more than sporting stature.
“Having this importance also in the economy, then we have a political dimension,” Blatter told journalists. “Now we have to have a look at how to act in the future to avoid such situations, definitely this is an item which is now under scrutiny,” he added, a day after FIFA’s ethics committee banned two executive committee members for one to three years over bribery or misconduct.

Messi: Its time to beat Brazil

As the countdown continues to the inauguaral FIFA Ballon d’Or, the unified award that merges the FIFA World Player of the Year and France Football's Ballon d’Or, FIFA.com spoke exclusively to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, the recipient of both honours last year. Once again in the running this time around, the Barça superstar discussed a range of issues, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, his extensive charity work and his country’s upcoming friendly against Brazil.


FIFA.com: Lionel, you often talk in interviews about being motivated by new challenges, though surely there is not much left for you to win?
Lionel Messi: That’s true, I’ve gone about achieving all the objectives I’ve set myself except for the World Cup. I was really annoyed at the way we went out against Germany. It was a really harsh blow because we were expecting so much more, but everything started unravelling for us at the worst moment. I thought that we could have gone far, so it was a shame.

Your Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta have admitted they were relieved to see Argentina knocked out by Germany. They felt La Albiceleste would have been tougher semi-final opponents.
It’s true. We didn’t go into the tournament on song, but we improved with each game and hit good form. We’d earned the respect of everybody thanks to the football we’d played and our results. And I think they (Xavi and Iniesta) know that Argentina are always difficult opponents, whatever form they’re in. We proved that in the friendly game we played in Buenos Aires, when we thrashed Spain.

Are your Spanish colleagues favourites to claim the FIFA Ballon d’Or?
It’s clear to me that the World Cup will have a big impact on the final decision this year, which is going to give them an edge. If I don’t win then I sincerely hope that it goes to one of my Barça colleagues. All the odds are in favour of Xavi and Iniesta and to be honest they’re great people and great players who deserve it more than anybody.
All the odds are in favour of Xavi and Iniesta and to be honest they’re great people and great players who deserve it more than anybody.
Messi on the FIFA Ballon d'Or award

Who would give the FIFA Men’s Football Coach of the Year award to?
I’ll go with my team again, I’ll stick with my colours. I’d vote for Pep Guardiola, not just because of the trophies we’ve won but because of his commitment and footballing philosophy. And also because of what his arrival in the Barça dugout has meant. Nor have I forgotten Jose Mourinho who, aside from the treble he won with Inter [Milan], has begun changing the face of Real Madrid. But going back to the World Cup again, that’s going to be decisive and for that reason Vicente del Bosque and Joachim Low come to the fore. I just don’t know, there are some great nominees but I think those four are in with the best chance.

You said recently that you feel like people use you to create rifts within the Argentina squad. Is that really how you feel?
Of course, it seems like people want to blame me for everything. Whenever any issue arises I’m said to have been involved even if I’ve had nothing to do with it. That’s why I always focus on what I know, which is playing football, and try to be very careful with what I say because people always try and twist things. They try and look for hidden meanings where there aren’t any, which irritates me. I repeat what I always say: I want the best for Argentina in every way. I never try to make trouble for anybody.

Have you spoken to Diego Maradona recently?
Yes, we chatted not long ago. I was very happy under Diego, just like I am now under [Sergio] ‘El Checho’ Batista. I’m just like any of the other players that are part of the national squad, I concentrate on playing – I’m just a footballer. Issues involving the AFA (Argentinian Football Association) are for other people to take care of. They’re the ones who make the decisions, it has nothing to do with me.

Away from football, how well did you and Maradona get on?
Really well. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we had a very good relationship and we still do. People always have something to say, while there are third parties who want to alter the facts and can cause confusion. But I repeat that during the World Cup in South Africa we got on spectacularly well.

Are La Albiceleste in the process of a generational overhaul?
Definitely. We’re a group of players that know each other well, that won Olympic gold together in Beijing and which even has the same coach as back then. In the team that won the final was [Sergio] Romero; [Pablo] Zabaleta, [Ezequiel] Garay, [Nicolas] Pareja, [Luciano] Monzon; [Fernando] Gago, [Javier] Mascherano, [Angel] Di Maria, [Juan Roman] Riquelme; [Sergio] ‘El Kun’ Aguero and me, with [Ever] Banega, [Ezequiel] Lavezzi and [Jose] Sosa coming on as subs. The majority of us who were there (in Beijing) are still in the senior squad and also travelled to the World Cup in South Africa.

Do you think Riquelme will come back into the frame?
As I always say: there’s always room for great players. But I repeat that the decision’s not down to me. I’ve got no problem (with Riquelme), but that kind of decision will be down to Batista.

Tell us your thoughts on Javier Pastore.
He’s come on leaps and bounds at Palermo. I didn’t know much about him when he played for Huracan, but I got to see his quality first-hand at the World Cup, even though he didn’t play much. We played alongside each other (in 8 October’s 1-0 friendly defeat) in Japan and we struck up a good understanding. You can see he’s tough, he’s physically fit and he’s going to go far – I’m convinced of it.
It seems like people want to blame me for everything. Whenever any issue arises I’m said to have been involved even if I’ve had nothing to do with it.
Messi on the media's coverage of his role with Argentina

I assume your ultimate goal is Brazil 2014, but the 2011 Copa America is the next major item on Argentina’s agenda.
Yes, no doubt about it. The Copa America is going to be very important for us because we’re playing at home and that puts twice the pressure on us to aim for the title. We have to do our jobs very well and win it.

Which rival teams are the biggest threat?
Brazil, as always, and a Uruguay side that did very in South Africa with Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan up front, backed up by a compact unit. I’ve not forgotten Paraguay either, whose defensive prowess makes them uncomfortable opponents for any team. They really made Spain sweat at the World Cup. Then there’s Chile too, though I don’t know how [Marcelo] Bielsa’s departure is going to affect them. They’re all very strong national teams and dangerous opponents.

On the subject of Brazil, you’re set to come up against them in a friendly on 17 November.
That’s right and I’m particularly looking forward to this match. We already came up against them at Olympics in Beijing and beat them 3-0. It’ll be special thanks to the team we’re playing and also the fact I’ll come face to face with Ronaldinho, a person I’ve got great affection for. To me he’s truly like a brother and someone who, along with Deco, helped me so much when I was starting out at Barça. I care about them a lot and always wish them the best. Do you know what? I’ve never beaten Brazil with Argentina’s senior side, including that defeat in the Copa America final in Venezuela (in 2007). I think it’s about time I broke my duck! (laughs)

What New Year’s resolutions will you be making for 2011?
The same as last year: to win as much as I possibly can. I’m always aiming for more titles, especially one which would be my first (senior trophy) with Argentina: the Copa America. And I also hope that I can stay clear of injuries.

Moving away from football slightly, and it’s clear you do a lot of charity work. Can you tell us more about it?
It’s the Foundation that carries my name (La Fundación Leo Messi). My dad Jorge and my brother Rodrigo both work there, as do a lot of other people. For my part, I try to do my bit to make people’s lives more bearable, in particular children across the globe who are having problems.

Prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, you took part in a FIFA campaign aimed at helping South African children.
Yes, the Football for Health campaign. Everything that’s focused towards children is good because at that age they soak up everything, and if we can help then all the better. It’s not just me, other footballers must do so too. There are a lot of players who also have foundations, schools or even hospitals in their native countries.

An adidas campaign is coming up, your Foundation has set up a children’s park for sick children at the Valle Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and it sponsors an exchange programme between doctors in Barcelona and your hometown Rosario. What can you tell us about these projects?
I don’t know the details yet, but the adidas thing will be more focused on South America. There are children who suffer from exploitation and need all our support to be able to get an education, so that once they’re adults they have a chance in life. The doctor idea came from my dad: we’re going to give a grant to several doctors to enable them to finish their training here (in Barcelona). That way they can go back and put what they’ve learnt into practice in our homeland. And the park project is something important that we want to extend to other centres too. A Christmas visit we made to the hospital had a huge impact on me, that’s where the idea came from and a lot of people have got involved. Thank God, a lot of projects are coming to fruition.

This charitable streak is a characteristic you share with your good friend Ronaldinho, who is also known for his charity work with children.
There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it’s just by signing an autograph. A child’s smile is worth more than all the money in the world.

Culled from FIFA.com

Amos Adamu declares self ready for FIFA probe

Nigeria's Amos Adamu a FIFA executive committee member will face the ethics panel hearing of FIFA at its Zurich headquarter today.

He was alleged to have asked for a $800,000 bribe to guarantee his vote for one of the bidding nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He has however declared he's ready to face the committee later in the day.

There are few Nigerians that elicit as much passion when their names are mentioned as Amos Adamu. He is as hated as much as he is loved.

Those who love him describe him as a generous individual, quick to dispense cash and favours. Through this quality his has built up a sizeable army of foot soldiers in the Nigerian sports establishment; men and women who are ready at a moment’s notice, to walk through fire for him.

At the other end are his many haters, those who see him as the embodiment of all that is wrong with Nigerian sports. To these people, he has spent decades building an empire at the expense of Nigerian sports, which he was supposed to develop - first, as Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports and then later as Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Kojo Williams, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, who was impeached described the Adamu as a serious indictment of Nigeria. This is embarrassing. I think the Government should open all the papers on Adamu.

Ex-international, Adokiye laughed when he said, “Oyibo don catch am."
The Chief Justice said that there should be time to allow the appropriate quarters conduct investigation into the sordid scandal. “I think that we should allow time for them to conduct a thorough investigation first. But we know his antecedents. He hosted several tournaments without rendering accounts. He used his position as Director General of the National Sports Commission to acquire international positions. And it is so glaring that he used his positions in CAF and FIFA to serve his selfish ends. It is so embarrassing to this country."

Adamu has traversed the spectrum of Nigerian sports. A former university teacher, who holds a doctorate degree in Physical Education, he was appointed sole administrator of the Nigeria Football Association in 1992. A year later, he was appointed Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports.

In 1999, he was actively involved in the organisation of the U-20 World Cup hosted by Nigeria and was also an intrinsic part of the organisation of Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. That same year, he was chosen to head COJA, the organising committee of the 2003 All Africa Games, which Nigeria hosted.

Allegations of fraud rocked the organisation of the games and Adamu continues to face allegations of financial impropriety even though none of them has been proven. In 2005, he was named part of the organising committee of the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. The following year, he became a member of the FIFA Executive committee and in 2007 became President of the West African Football Union (WAFU).

In 2008, Adamu was transferred from the Ministry of Sports to the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

Three Nigerians shortlisted for CAF awards

Three Nigerians made the shortlist for the 2010 edition of the Glo Confederation of African Football (CAF) Footballer of the Year award.
Dickson Etuhu, Osaze Peter Odemwingie and Kalu Uche were the only Nigerians picked in the nominees for this year’s award.
The provisional list of Caf for the 2010 award is full of surprises, as Nigerians will be shocked to find Etuhu in the list and John Obi Mikel excluded despite the player being touted as having improved his game in recent games for Chelsea.

Explaining the rationale for the shortlist respected Caf instructor, Adegboye Onigbinde, said that every award has it criteria for nominating players.

He opined out that it should be remembered that the likes of Etuhu, Odemwingie and Kalu Uche appeared in several international matches for Nigeria in which Mikel did not.

Onigbinde used the 2010 Fifa World Cup as an example.

“You cannot win awards when you don’t play at the very big stage. Yes no doubt playing for your club is good but every award has its own criteria for picking nominees and the Caf award is no exception.

“So the players nominated for the award must have picked based on certain co-efficient like playing in the Fifa World Cup this year and also other international matches for their countries.

The absence of Mikel might be due to such lack of picking enough co-efficient to be nominated,” the former Nigerian head coach said.

However, Mikel’s Ghanaian teammate, Michael Essien, is also missing from the provisional list of 30 and his case is believed to due to the injury that kept him away from competitive football for a long period, which led to his missing the Mundial in South Africa.

Apart from Etuhu, Odemwingie and Uche in the Caf nominees, it is learnt that Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana produced five players each.

The trio of Cameroon, Egypt and Morocco has three players each like Nigeria while Algeria produced two.

Benin Republic, DR Congo, Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia all have one player apiece in the Caf award’s provisional list.

Perennial nominees such as Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o of Inter Milan and Cameroon are part of those named in the shortlist.

Other top names in the hat are Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew of Ghana, the Toure brothers – Kolo and Yaya and their Ivorien teammate, Salomon Kalou.

The 30-man list is expected to be trimmed to 10 by Caf’s three committees of media, technical and football

Gharaffa faces uphill task against KSA's al Hilal

AL GHARAFFA Sports Club despite going down 0-3 to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in first leg quarterfinal of the AFC Champions League in Riyadh last week, is in an upbeat mood as it takes on the Saudi club in the return leg on home turf on Wednesday.

Gharaffa coach Caio Junior, well aware of the fact that his players have a mountain to climb, put up a brave front on eve of the match.

He said, “In football the approach is either theoretic or practical.

Hilal will come all out to play and maintain its lead.

We will, however, be at an advantage because my players are in good shape and will enjoy the support of home crowd.” Ciao emphasised the value of fans’ support and said that his players greatly value them.

He urged them to pack the stadium on Wednesday and make the atmosphere ‘an intimidating one’ for the opponent.

Gharaffa, however, will miss the services of star Brazilian midfielder Juninho in the match.

Coach Caio Junior exhorted his players to prove that theirs is not a one-man team.

Caio said he has got capable player to replace him in the squad and the replacement had proven himself in the Qatar Stars League encounter against Lekhwiya.

“Juninho will not be playing for us and it gives me a chance to evaluate the team’s performance without him,” said Junior, adding, “This won’t do us any harm as I believe rest of my players can compensate for his absence.

We played without him against Lekhwiya and won comfortably.” The Qatar Stars League champion club comes to the match high on confidence after beating a strong Lekhwiya side in its opening QSL match, with Iraqi striker Younes Mahmoud and Clemerson de Araujo producing some magic.

Younis Mahmud, though not underestimating his opponent, is optimistic of Gharafffa advancing to semifinal of the prestigious tournament.

“Hilal players are used to playing such matches.

They have a lot of experience.

But we are Qatar champion and will make it crystal clear that we are capable of progressing beyond this stage.” Hilal, who has been consistently impressive under Belgian great Eric Gerets, is positive of a good outing in Doha.

They are expected to welcome back Christian Wilhelmsson to the starting line-up after the Swedish winger missed the first leg through suspension.

Gerets, said, “Naturally in any competition, matches become tougher in the later stages.

Ghaffara is a strong team and many good players play in the team.

“We will take things seriously and search for goals.

We will try not to concede goals as we are eager to maintain our 3 goals advantage.” Defender Osama Hawsawi knows it is vital for Al Hilal not to slip against Al Gharaffa in the second leg.

He said his teammates were determined to put up a stellar performance against them.

“We are prepared and confident of progressing,” he said.

“I know Gharafa will come all out to attack.

They will be fearless in their approach as they have nothing to lose.

We will, however, search for goals as attack is the best form of defence.” The match will be officiated by officials from Singapore.

The referee is Abdul Malik, who will be assisted by Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng and Mohammed Mousa Abu.

The final of Asia’s top club competition will be staged at Tokyo’s National Stadium on November 13.

Winner of the tournament will qualify for the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup in December 2010.

Iniesta delivers first World Cup to Spain

For 116 minutes, the Netherlands and Spain had battled and bruised, fought and flopped and produced a game that became more pressure packed by the second. Each side was stopped on a breakaway. Each had headers fly high and clear shots curve wide.
And with the moments growing lonely and the air getting colder, with a penalty kick shootout looming, Spain’s Cesc Fabregas made a brilliant pass to set up Andres Iniesta on the right side of the goal.
Iniesta touched it once and blasted it past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and inside the far post. It was a kick for glory and a shot for history that set off a series of celebrations and heartbreaks across not just a jammed Soccer City here but across Western Europe.
In one corner of this stadium, Iniesta, the 26-year-old, son of bartender from the little village of Fuentealbilla, had ripped his shirt off in mid-run to expose a tribute to his friend and Spanish footballer Daniel Jarque, who recently died of a heart attack.
“We wanted to pay tribute to him and we thought this was the best opportunity to do so,” Iniesta said of Jarque.
Soon Iniesta was mobbed by his teammates in a hug for the ages. The Dutch players either sprawled out in exhausted depression or charged the referees demanding an offside call – when in fact Iniesta was fully onside.

Minutes later, after extra time with extra drama, Spain would capture the nation’s first World Cup and cap a dramatic month of soccer in Africa. The Dutch and their army of frantic, orange-clad fans were bridesmaids for a third difficult time.
It was a fitting conclusion if only because not everything at the 2010 World Cup was pretty or perfect. There were controversies and complaints and a dearth of goals (the second-lowest scoring tournament after Italy ’90).
What the event never lacked, though, was competition. And while it took nearly two hours for the scoreboard to move a bit, the fight on the field was fierce.
The game would conclude with 14 yellow cards, nine of them called on the Netherlands, who finished the game with just 10 players.
The Dutch had said for days that they weren’t going to be intimidated by Spain and its precise passing game that had delivered 30 wins in their last 32 international games and made it the favorite with everyone from bookmakers to octopi.
The men in orange proved it immediately by getting physical, knocking the Spaniards off their balance and their timing. They came out and kicked them in the shins and let them know they were there. Then the Netherlands withstood early Spanish pressure, found its timing and launched waves of attacks of its own.
Andres Iniesta celebrates with the World Cup trophy following Spain's victory over the Netherlands.
For a game with just one goal, there was no lack of opportunities.
The Netherlands’ Arjen Robben had one clear breakaway and another semi-breakaway only to be stoned by the acrobatic Iker Casillas. Not to be outdone, Stekelenburg made game-savers on Fabregas and David Villa.
Because this is an event that comes just every four years, the pressure to perform is impossible to quantify in American pro sports standards. It’s not that players don’t feel immense pressure in a Super Bowl or NBA Finals, but here, there is no next year.
Even elite players make just two or three World Cups and to get just one chance at a final can define a career.
Yet with the world watching, with their countrymen everywhere overcome with nerves, with each minute passing adding to the urgency, the play seemed to improve. The Netherlands would lose but leave every bit of its life on the field. The Spaniards would win, but they’d know they needed every bit of their own reserve to get it done.
At the end of this game, at the end of this month, it was just Andres Iniesta and the ball and the opportunity of a lifetime. He’d grown up in a 2,000-person village, his entire family working in the small tavern, Bar Lujan, which his grandfather owned.
Once, when Andres was 12, his father took him on the nearly five-hour drive to Barcelona to see the professional clubs play. The boy was hooked. He dreamed big. He practiced hard.
And in the most desperate minute in the history of his nation’s soccer fortunes, he never hesitated.
One hard-fought World Cup in the books, with the legends from this epic to only grow from here.